Ludhiana, August 30
Alert police personnel and members of the Sikh riot welfare association today aborted yet another alleged attempt by some 1984 riot victims to forcibly occupy 85 flats of the GLADA which are likely to be given to victims who had not got any benefit even after a long struggle.

Some people put doors and locked the flats at midnight. Those who could not get doors, put bricks to indicate the flat was theirs.

A heavy police force along with riot victims and officials of the GLADA got the flats evicted in the morning.

Model Town police sources said an FIR would be lodged only after a complaint by the GLADA.

Surjit Singh, president of the Danga Peerat Welfare Association, said the persons occupying the flats had already availed of the benefits earlier, some even twice or thrice. “They had no locus standi to do so. There are thousands of genuine victims who have not even got a sq yard of land,” he said.

This was the third attempt to occupy flats in the past few months. These attempts stem from the proposed move of the state government to allot flats to riot victims. Surjit Singh claimed that the government was likely to allot the flats by next month to needy victims.

Last month, two groups of riot victims had come to blows over the possession of the flats. The police had booked some people in this regard.

The reserve price of the flats is about Rs 2.50 lakh, but the market price is much more.

Ludhiana, August 30
In view of the rationalisation policy, teachers who had been issued transfer letters are joining their centres, despite a stay by the DPI (secondary education), Jagtar Singh Khatra.

Even as Sudesh Bajaj, DEO (secondary), has given a green light to the ongoing rationalisation process, claiming that higher officials have instructed her to go ahead with it, Khatra and chairman of the rationalisation committee, Ajmer Singh, denied any decision had been taken to revoke the stay.

Sources in the education department said Khatra wanted his list of teachers to be transferred to various schools, but it was not acceptable to Sudesh Bajaj.

Politicians are also putting pressure on the DEO and the DPI to put their people at a station of their choice.

Today, around 250 teachers joined their duties. A teacher, on the condition of anonymity, said: “I got a relieving letter from my previous school and I joined the new school today. According to the rationalisation process, if a teacher joins a vacant post, he or she cannot be transferred immediately.”

Sudesh Bajaj conducted a meeting with principals of various government schools in this regard here today. She ordered the teachers to quickly join the school according to the list and requested the principals to complete the transfer formalities.

The principal of a government school said: “Teachers who were earlier reluctant to join other schools, hurriedly completed the formalities as they feared they would be shifted to far-off places according to the new list issued by the DPI.”

Ludhiana, August 30
Buses generally stop in front of the bus stand here, leading to traffic congestion. Autorickshaws and taxis are also parked there, further aggravating the problem.

Though there are terminals at the bus stand for every bus, drivers seldom park the buses there. Passengers also prefer to board buses outside the bus stand as buses usually stand at the terminals only for a few minutes.

Harkirat Kaur, a college student who commutes by bus, said she preferred taking the bus from outside. “It is a common practise. Buses usually stand in front of the bus stand for at least 15-20 minutes and it is convenient for passengers. But no doubt, it leads to traffic chaos,” she said.

Manjit Kaur, a resident of Bharat Nagar, said the road in front of the the bus stand was always jampacked. There was no rush inside the bus stand, but it was difficult to pass through the road.

“Since the autorickshaw and taxi stand is also at the same place, traffic congestion is worst here. It takes nearly half hour to cross this stretch,” she said.

Though it was illegal to stop buses outside the bus stand, the drivers were openly flouting rules. Later, they drive at breakneck speed to make up for the lost time. Sometimes it proved fatal, Surinder Pal Singh, another resident, said.

Ludhiana, August 30
Insurance companies can't deny the claim of a consumer simply because he has obtained a no-claim bonus by making a wrong declaration at the time of taking an insurance policy.

This was stated by the local consumer forum while deciding a complaint filed by Kuldeep Singh of Transport Nagar.

The forum said the insurance company should make the payment of the claim proportionate to the amount of premium paid by the consumer.

Forum president J.S. Chawla and its member D.S. Bakshi ordered the National Insurance company to pay Rs 31,500 along with 10 per cent interest from the day of repudiation of claim until the actual payment.

In this case, the consumer had availed 50 per cent bonus in making the payment of premium to the company at the time of insuring his truck.

He availed no-claim bonus with the declaration that he had not taken any claim during the previous policy. But his declaration was found to be wrong. So, he was entitled to 50 per cent of the loss amount assessed by the surveyor deputed by the company, the forum said.

The company had repudiated the claim of the consumer on account of the damage to his truck in an accidentin 2007.

It also contested the case before the forum.

It was contended that making a wrong declaration and concealing facts at the time of taking a policy was a violation of the terms and conditions of the insurance policy, which dis-entitled him to any claim. But the forum disagreed with the stand of the company.

Ludhiana, August 30
Proposal of the oil distribution companies to increase the price of diesel used by the industry has upset the local entrepreneurs. Already grappling with the increased costs on account of poor power supply and other hindrances, industrialists feel that the proposal is “unfair” and would cripple the industry if implemented.

“We came to know about this proposal, now. We are already going through tough time. Due to prolonged power cuts, our costs are going up. To top it, diesel prices, too, have risen. Now, the industry would be unable to bear the burden if another hike takes place,” he added.

Industry representatives also said the steps taken for dealing with the power shortage need to be taken on the priority basis.” Demand for diesel has been continuously going up. Along with this, power shortage is becoming worse. The industry has to use diesel due to heavy power cuts both scheduled and unscheduled. The distribution system of the board is in very bad shape resulting in large-scale shutdowns. The government should tackle the problem of power shortage at the earliest,” opined P.D. Sharma, president, Apex Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

He said the electricity consumption at malls should be controlled and so should be lighting of the outdoor hoardings. “Diesel engine manufacturers should be told to manufacture engines for reducing the huge wastage of diesel. It will be a mockery if people are allowed to run air conditioners by purchasing diesel at subsidised rate and the industry is forced to buy diesel at market price to manufacture goods,” he added.

Ludhiana, August 30
A minor girl allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself from a ventilator of a room at Punjab Mata Nagar yesterday night. The victim identified as Mamti (11) was working as a maidservant at Kultar Singh’s residence for the past one year. She was the native of West Bengal.

According to Kultar Singh, Mamti was insisting on meeting her parents who live in Virdhman in West Bengal. “I assured her that I will take her to her parents next month but she was adamant and refused to listen to my request. On Friday evening she locked the room from inside and hung herself from the ventilator with the help of a cloth, he added. When Kultar Singh’s family saw this they called the police.

According to Dalip Bedi, in charge, Dugri police station, the body has been sent for the post-mortem examination. Investigations will start once the postmortem report is received, he added.

Ludhiana, August 30
Every few years, house design trends change in construction. Today, entire houses are undergoing a sea change. When it comes to Ludhiana, residents will do anything to make their house a dream home.

Known for their style and grandeur, Ludhianvis hire the best of architects, interior designers and “vastu” experts to give their houses that special and chic look.

Mostly kitchens are the focus. Nowadays even parties are focused around it. The newest trend is to build the kitchen with an open floor plan. An open kitchen makes it the epicentre of family living. An open kitchen integrates kitchen space with the living room and provides an atmosphere conducive to entertainment and visitation.

A generation ago, kitchens were thought of as a place strictly reserved for cooking. Now, kitchens are the hub of the house, where the entire family gathers in the evening after work. The latest kitchen designs make them more multifunctional and welcoming, Vikas Sharma, an architect, says.

Kitchens have elaborate molding, special lighting and finely crafted floor and ceilings. “People need the kitchen to be expandable,” says Minnie, a housewife.

Another dominating trend in the city is to construct the house according to “vastu”. Several old houses are demolished and new ones constructed as per “vastu”, which is a science of architecture. It deals with how to select a plot and make it ready for construction.

“A person should find peace at home. Otherwise, there is no use of having a house. Here ‘vastu’ plays an important role. When a house is constructed according to these principles, the occupants live in peace and prosperity,” Piyush, a “vastu” expert, claimed.

People in the city are not only paying attention to the exteriors, but a large amount of money is used on interior decoration and designing.

“Moreover, taking the assistance of interior designers has become a necessity because everyone loves a beautiful house. Interior decorators help bring out the best in your house,” says Gurpreet Kaur.

Doraha, August 30
A sum of Rs 10 lakh was donated to Guru Nanak National College by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Avtar Singh and Rs 2 lakh by Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal, former cabinet minister and general secretary of SAD (B). The donation was made on the occasion of the birth anniversary of founder president Dr Ishwar Singh, in Dr Ishwar Singh Memorial Hall of the college today.

In his deliberations, chief guest Avtar Singh recalled the selfless devotion and exemplary services offered by Dr Ishwar Singh to Doraha town in general, and the college and school in particular. He congratulated the management, principal, staff and the students for organising such a grand cultural extravaganza. Grewal exhorted the students to adopt a positive analytical approach towards life. He also called upon the students to believe in the dignity of labour, which he exclaimed is necessary to keep up our self-esteem.

Narinder Singh Sidhu, principal of the college, and Jaswant Singh Gill, director, relived the services of the late founder president and the multi-faceted role he played of a physician, an educationist, a social worker, a politician and a philanthropist till his last breath.

“Mirch Masala”, a play, directed by TV and film artiste professor Nirmal Rishi was presented. Besides, solo songs, qawali, group folk song, choreography by the college students and group dance boys of Guru Nanak Model Senior Secondary School, Doraha, were also performed. The vote of thanks was extended in the end by general secretary of the college management committee Prof Balwant Singh Pangli.

Ludhiana, August 30
“Mana ki jahan ko na gulzaar hum kar sake kuch haar kam to kar gaye, guzare jidhar se hum ……” this couplet of Sahir Ludhianavi is just the right connotations for depicting the transition that’s taking place in Ludhiana.

The city of Sahir Ludhianavi having witnessed the best of performing arts in the form of traditional ballets to folk dances in regional fairs and Shakespearean plays has lost its sheen to the frivolous acts in the industrial backdrop.

Famous Dhadi singer Seetal Singh, Mohammad Siddque, Kuldeep Manak, Surinder Shinda, Narinder Beeba, Harpal Tiwana, Krishan Adeeb, Inderjeet Hassanpuri, Jaswant Bhanwran and Barkat Sindhu are among the talented lots who have immensely contributed toward the city’s cultural growth.

Advent of the Industrial era brought a gradual change in the social and cultural values as the influx of migrant populace from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh created an audience for ‘nautanki’.

But, the rapid commercial growth of the city affected the cultural scene thereby shifting the focus of people from the ‘conventional art forms’ to the ‘instant entertainment’. The focus of audience shifted from stage plays and “kavi dabars” to DJ dance parties organised by the liquor companies.

However, the city is again on the road to transition as inspired by the ‘quick fame’ of reality shows on television channels, the new genre singers from Ludhiana are making it to the top thereby bringing back the memories of the glorious past.

Arshpreet, Ravinder Ravi and late Ishmeet Singh were among the leading contestants in singing contests who have become role models for a large number of teenagers trying to make it to these reality shows.

Treading the path of glory are three city lads famous as ‘mausere bhai’ who have become the proud winners of Sony’s ‘waar pariwar’ the singing reality show. Haneet Taneja, Arvind Gujaral and Amit Sharma ‘the trio’ is determined to do a few shows in Punjab especially Ludhiana every year. “It feels good when we are referred to as youth icons but the fact is we have learnt from the heroes of yesteryears, Mohammad Rafi being the inspiration,” adds Arvind Gujaral.

Ludhiana, August 30
The Rotary Club arranged a talk on the “India-US Bilateral and Economic Relations” in Rotary Bhawan, Sarabha Nagar, here. Lisa Swenarski de Herrera, Editor-in-Chief of SPAN magazine and public diplomacy officer of the US Embassy in India, was the guest speaker.

Club president S.P. Karkara referred to the 56 years old history of the club and the various social welfare projects undertaken by it. The pacemaker bank has helped save more than 200 lives by providing pacemakers to poor patients.

Eye OPD and surgery unit in Guru Teg Bahadur Charitable Hospital, eye OPD in B.L.Kapur Maternity and General Hospital, D.P.Puri Free Homoeopathic Dispensary and free Computer Centre for poor school students run in the Rotary Bhawan campus are a few other activities sponsored by the club.

Besides this, the other welfare projects undertaken by the club are like providing help to Nirdosh School for mentally challenged children run by Innerwheel Club on the Rotary premises and free medical camps arranged for poor patients in Ludhiana and surrounding villages.

Swenarski talked about various aspects of India-US relations. 

Ludhiana, August 30
In order to generate awareness of issues related to climatic changes affecting the industry, the CII, Punjab state council, conducted a workshop on carbon credits here yesterday.

In his inaugural address, CII chairman, Punjab state council, J.R. Singal urged industrialists to adopt practices like carbon credits, which not only helps in keeping environment clean but also in trading carbon emitted from plants.

“Having cornered more than half of the global total in tradable certified emission reduction (CERs), India’s dominance in carbon trading under the clean development mechanism (CDM) of the UN Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is beginning to influence business dynamics in the country”, he added.

Consultants from the Emergent Ventures India (EVI), New Delhi, briefed the audience on ways to reduce emissions.

Ludhiana Hand tools Association president S.C. Rallan shared his experience of successful implementation of the project on carbon credits with the audience.Among those present were senior officials from a few companies and industrialists, including executive director of Amrit Vanaspati S.K. Aggarwal, GDPA partner Kamna Raj Agarwala, Bhogal Sons director S.S. Bhogal, and managing director of R.N. Gupta and Company Avinash Gupta.

Ludhiana, August 30
The Government College Teachers’ Association (GCTA) has finally announced the date of its elections on September 6. Though in recent past GCTA members tried to reach to a unanimous decision of electing president and general secretary, it could not work. The direct fight for the post of president is now between Prof Jaipal Singh and Dr S.S. Bomb and for general secretary, the contest is between Hardeep Singh and Dr Bomb.

The association had received 10 nominations for the post of president and 11 for the post of general secretary between August 20 and 25. The papers of all the contestants were found in order by returning officer Kulwant Singh Aujla on August 26. Withdrawals were held on August 28 in which all candidates withdrew their names for both the key posts except for Prof Jaipal Singh, Dr Hardeep Singh and Dr Bomb.

Talking to The Tribune, Prof Jaipal, the sitting president GCTA, said that to avoid botheration, the association decided to elect members amicably. “But they did not reach to a conclusion as one of the members did not withdraw his nomination. Many members of the association wanted the present team to continue. I wanted to leave the post as I had been serving for the past nine years, but the members present during withdrawals did not agree to my proposal,” said Prof Jaipal, adding that as per constitution no member could contest elections for two consecutive terms on one post.

Meanwhile, Dr Bomb told the Tribune that he had sent a representation to the returning officer today regarding “ineligibility” of Prof Jaipal. According to him, the constitution of the association says “no member can be elected consecutively to any post, which include the posts of president, general secretary, vice-president, press secretary, finance secretary, organising secretary and area secretary etc”.

“But Prof Jaipal is serving for the past nine years. Majority of members feel that he is not eligible for any of the posts now. We are waiting for the final reply by the returning officer,” said Dr Bomb.

Both contestants for the post of president are from SCD Government College here. The elections of GCTA are held after every two years, but this time they will be held after three years. The association with about 850 members came into existence in 1990. The members can cast their votes at their respective colleges under the guidance of presiding officers -- the unit presidents -- on September 6.

Ludhiana, August 30
MGM Public School organised “Expressions 2008”, an exhibition of models. It encompassed a wide range of topics. The exhibition was inaugurated by additional commissioner Kuldeep Singh. Models prepared by students were displayed in more than twenty-five rooms.

Topics for the models ranged from science, maths and social studies to women empowerment, career options, effects of pollution and Punjabi culture. The nursery students presented a jungle scene to drive home the point that harmony between man and nature is the key to everybody’s survival.

Students of many schools of Ludhiana visited the exhibition with their teachers. Principal Mona Singh said that the exhibition provided a platform to the students to showcase their creativity.

Quiz: An inter-house general knowledge quiz contest was organised by the Junior Humanities Forum at Kundan Vidya Mandir for the students of the primary section. A cultivated interest in general awareness at this stage of life can do wonders in developing the overall personality, IQ level, and aptitude towards learning.

Keeping this in mind, the contest was divided into various categories like Indian geography, history, vocabulary, current affairs, science and visual rounds. Each team comprised of three participants in which Subhash House team, comprising of Raghav Sharma, Saransh and Gayatri, bagged the first position. The Nehru House, comprising Diksha Jain, Sehaj Kaur, Chahat Bhandari, stood second and the third position was won by the Tagore House, comprising Vaibhav, Anushka and Varun.

Dance competition: Diverse colours of India were reflected when budding dancers came alive with creative themes at the inter-school Sahodaya solo (classical) dance contest held at BCM Arya Model Senior Secondary School. Around twelve schools participated in the competition wherein contestants showcased their talent in famous classical dance forms like Kathak, Kuchipudi and Bharatnatyam.

The classic extravaganza kicked off on a colourful note with the lightening of a traditional lamp. BCM Arya Model Sr Sec School and DAV School shared the first position, KVM School stood second, Guru Nanak International Public School stood third while consolation positions were given to Guru Nanak Public School and Greenland Sr Sec School.

Freshers’ party: Guru Nanak Khalsa College for Women, Gujarkhan Campus, organised a colourful extravaganza “Zeal-2008” to welcome the freshers. The function comprising dance, songs and choreography items captivated the audience and lent colour to the celebrations. About 42 contestants participated in this contest.

Geetanjali was declared as Miss Fresher, Taranjeet and Jasica bagged the title of first runner up and second runner-up, respectively. Ishneet won Ms Crowning Glory title, Manisha bagged Ms Charming, Jaspreet grabbed Ms Cat Walk title, while Baldeep won Ms Personality title. Ms Best Apparel title was won by Neha Verma and Taranpreet won the consolation prize.

Dr Jyoti Tah (rotarian) was the chief guest on this occasion and Amardeep Lall (Mona), center manager, INIFD, was the guest of honour. Roopa Pahwa, director, Addiction Gym, and Pragati, director, JD Institute of Fashion and Technology, were the judges for this event. 

Ludhiana, August 30
Players of Kundan Vidya Mandir, Civil Lines, brought fame to their school by finishing among position holders in the Ludhiana Sahodaya School Complex Badminton Tournament held at Gobindgarh Public School, Mandi Gobindgarh, recently.

According to a press note issued by the school here today, shuttlers from KVM emerged champions in the boy’s u-17 years section. In the u-19 years category, KVM lads finished third.

In the u-17 years group, Akash Mahajan, Surya Goel and Mitaksh Gandhi registered victories in the singles as well as in doubles matches, which fetched their school the first position.

Bhavya Dawar and Surya Ramdev (u-19 years) had to content with the third position.

Principal Rajiv Nagalia congratulated the coach and students for excelling in the tournament.

Ludhiana, August 30
Gaurav Sharma and Avneet Kaur survived some anxious moments before romping home victorious in the matches organised for the PAU students on the opening day of the 19th Open Prithipal Singh Memorial Table Tennis Tournament which began at the indoor gymnasium hall of Punjab Agricultural University here today.

In the PAU men’s final, Gaurav Sharma fought a pitched battle against Prateek. He won the first set 11-8 but lost the next two games 7-11 and 8-11. However, in the fourth set, Gaurav after initial hiccups, managed to overpower Prateek 11-9 to level the score 2-all.

In the fifth and deciding game, Gaurav kept calm, which enabled him to wrap it up 11-5 and also clinch the title.

In the PAU women’s section, Avneet Kaur, too, faced stiff challenge from her rival, Dipti whom she defeated in four sets to emerge as champion.

Dipti won the first set 11-7 but went down fighting in the next one 8-11. Avneet went on to win the next two games 11-4 and 11-9 and also bagged the title.

In the cadet girl’s section, Himani Bhatia and Yashi recorded victories in their respective semifinal encounters to set up the title clash.

Himani beat Bhawna 11-4, 11-8, 9-11 and 12-10 while Yashi scripted win in straight sets over Rishika 11-4, 11-9 and 11-7 to secure their berths in the title clash match.

In the sub-junior girl’s singles (quarter finals), Anushika defeated Tanvi 11-4, 11-5 and 11-8; Parminder outplayed Dhriti 11-4, 12-10 and 13-11; Kiran overpowered Prabhti Ray 11-7, 11-10, 11-5 and Shipka out numbered Rishika 11-9, 11-5 and 11-7 to book places on the last four stage.

In the sub-junior boys section (pre-quarter finals), Abhaydeep Singh, Karan, Saranash, Sung Ming, Harnoor, Raghav Jindal and Shubham Grover came out triumphant to advance into the last eight stages. 

Ludhiana, August 30
Atinder Singh Garcha, a Class XI student, Kundan Vidya Mandir School, Civil Lines, Ludhiana, clinched two titles besides securing a bronze medal in the 17th Ludhiana District Shooting Championship organised by the District Rifle Association, Ludhiana, at the Markfed Shooting Range, Mohali. At least 85 students had taken part in the tournament organised on August 27 and 28.

In the men’s section, Atinder won gold medals in the air pistol ISSF and free-pistol events. He finished third in the .22 bore open sight rifle event to bag his third individual medal.

In the women’s section, Amreen Bath won top honours in the .177 peep-sight air rifle event while in the sub-junior women’s category, Malaika Goel secured the first position in the air pistol event.

Results: .22 bore open-sight rifle (men)- Mankeet Guron 1st; Balkaram Singh 2nd and Atinder Singh Garcha 3rd, .177 peep-sight air rifle (women)- Amreen Bath 1st , Navneet Cheema 2nd and Janu Priya Katyal 3rd, .177 peep-sight air rifle (men)- Arjun Grewal 1st and Guriqbal Singh 2nd; air pistol I.S.S.F (men)- Atinder Singh Garcha 1st; air pistol (junior men)- Aank Dhanda 1, Harjot Singh Bhogal 2nd and Kuldeep Kumar 3rd; air pistol (sub-junior men)- Jasleen Lotey 1st; Gurpartap Singh 2nd and Gurkirat Singh 3rd ; air pistol (sub-junior women)- Malaika Goel 1st, Purnoor Grewal 2nd and Nishtha Manchanda 3rd and free-pistol (men)- Atinder Singh Garcha 1st.